In your dreams, in my nightmares
by passing.strange
Summary: A week after Damon killed Katherine, and Elena's having some less-than-PG dreams about a certain tall ish , dark, and handsome vampire. Now, if only those dreams were about the one she was dating. Rated M for some racier scenes, just a precaution.
1. Chapter 1: The Dreams

_Elena Gilbert, you are losing your mind._

That was the only thought going through her head when she woke up that morning, beads of sweat dripping from her chestnut hair down her forehead. Her breath was coming in short gasps, all too familiar to the noises she had been hearing herself make just a few moments before, and she almost founder herself swooning at the memory of it all. Her cheeks were flushed, her hands were shaking, and most of all, she found herself needing an icy-cold shower as the memories of her dream came flooding back more vivid than before.

Oh, shit. _Shit. _How could she have allowed herself to dream of something like that? Of course, it wasn't like she had any control over her dreams, but _still._ Normally the most erotic dreams she had involved her and Stefan kissing passionately after he had just saved her from some unknown evil, but last night's dream topped all that. Elena hadn't been kissing the one that she loved. Kissing anyone other than her boyfriend was the least of her worries after what her subconscious had just dragged up for her. There was kissing involved in the dream of course, but not just kissing on the lips. Kissing down her neck, across her stomach, and further down into places that she would rather not go into detail about. Maybe if it was a dream about Stefan she would be a little less concerned – after all, they _were_ dating, which Elena figured gave her the right to dream about him any way she wanted. But dreaming about his brother?

That was just _wrong._

Especially when his brother was a self-serving psychopath with no redeeming qualities. After all, hadn't those been her exact words when describing him? That was what Damon Salvatore was, plain and simple. Even if he had proven himself to be a wonderful friend and actually...sweet in the past couple of months, he was still Damon fucking Salvatore, and when it came down to it, he was always going to be his first priority. Of course, he claimed to be in love with Elena, but she knew the truth. He wanted her because she looked like Katherine, reminded him of a love that he thought was his, but never was in the first place.

_Katherine_. The name sent shivers down her spine. Even though her doppelganger had been taken out by none other than Damon the previous week, she couldn't help but be afraid that she was going to come back. She could still see the look on the elder Salvatore's face as he drove the stake through her heart, and hear the malice and hatred in his voice as he whispered that final goodbye in her ear:

"_Go back to hell where you came from, you fucking dead piece of shit."_

Honestly, that was one of the moments where she was the most relieved to be on Damon's good side. Yes, he was an ass, and yes, he was currently giving her more than uncomfortable dreams, but he was a good ally to have. Anyone who crossed Damon was basically guaranteed a slow and painful death, and no matter how much he was changing for the better, she knew that that was one thing that was always going to stay the same. He had been raised in a time where pride and dignity were of the upmost importance, so if someone screwed you over, you screwed them back twice as hard. So that was what Damon did – he hunted them down, and killed them in the most painful way possible. He didn't even care if he got himself killed in the process; it was all about getting revenge.

The more she allowed her thoughts to centre around Damon, the more vivid the memories of the dream became, and Elena found she simply wasn't able to handle it any more. Groaning, she pushed herself off of her fluffy queen-sized bed and trudged into the bathroom, pausing for a moment to stare in the mirror like she always did. A small, smug smile of satisfaction slipped across her face as she admired her reflection, touching a finger to her olive skin to make sure that there weren't any hidden blemishes waiting to shove their way up onto the surface. As always, there were none, and she sighed in relief. It was obvious why both of the Salvatore brothers were originally drawn to her – or more accurately, drawn to Katherine in the 1800's. Sure, girls like Caroline were beautiful, but they weren't _unique._ She didn't know how many times she had nearly mistaken some random, peppy blonde for her best friend, because they all acted the same. She loved Caroline, but it was the truth. No one even got Elena Gilbert mixed up...not until that bitch Katherine came back and ruined everything.

After a few minutes, she finally managed to drag herself away from the mirror and into the shower, sighing in relief as the cold water washed away all remainders of the dream. Damon was banished from her thoughts, just a blip in the back of her brain as she began to wash her hair, thanking God that it was a Saturday and she didn't have to hurry off to school.

The feeling of another body behind hers snapped Elena out of her thoughts, and she smiled in peace, allowing the person to wrap their arms around her waist and place kisses along the side of her jaw. She turned slowly, finding herself face to face with the piercing blue eyes that could melt her soul, and the playful smirk twisting those beautiful soft lips. Pressing her nose against his, she gave him a sweet, gentle smile and reached her hands behind his neck, playing with the ends of his dark hair.

"I missed you." She whispered against his lips, just fractions of an inch away from him.

"Not as much as I missed you, love." Damon replied, and she found herself nearly fainting at the sound of his voice. How was it he did this to her? Really, just a few words and she was basically falling at his feet. "I'm sorry it took me so long to get here, but now we're just going to have to make up for lost time." Giggling, she allowed him to kiss her gently on her lips, loving the feeling of him against her.

And make up for lost time they did...many, _many_, times.

XOXOXOXOXOXOX

The constant beeping of Elena's alarm clock disrupted her from her dirty dreams, and she kept her eyes squeezed shut as she lay in bed, disgusted with herself. As if one dream about Damon Salvatore wasn't enough – now she was having dreams _within_dreams about him? Hell, it was like her subconscious hated her or something. There was no way she had any of those feelings for Damon; he was her _friend._ A charming, witty, sexy friend, but a friend none the less. Not only that, but he was her boyfriend's brother! What would Stefan think if he had been in her mind that night, seeing all of the things that she was doing to her brother? Because, well, Elena had never pinned herself as an animal, but the things she had done to Damon went _way _beyond the line of tame.

"How was I?"

Screaming, Elena nearly fell out of her bed as the all-too familiar voice snapped her out of her thoughts, and for a moment she thought she was dreaming again. It wasn't until she pinched herself over and over that she realized that she was currently in reality, at eleven o'clock on a Saturday morning, with the subject of her naughty dreams staring at her in a way that would make any schoolgirl blush. Really, it wasn't fair. That "eye-thing" he did, whatever it was, had the ability to make her lose her train of thought for minutes at a time. And he was doing it right then, fixing his heartbreakingly blue eyes on her in such a way that made all the words leave her mouth. She stared at him slack-jawed for a minute before asking the first question that came to her mind.

"How were you at what?" Okay, she probably should have asked what he was doing in her room, but right then she had to know what the hell he was talking about. Rolling his eyes, Damon gave her a '_duh'_ look before answering her question with one of his own.

"How was I in bed?" Elena opened her mouth to say something, but he cut her off before she could let the words slip past her lips. "Don't even deny it, Miss. Gilbert. I came to wake you up, and was greeted by a sleeping Elena moaning and screaming my name." Smirking cockily, he scooted down the bed closer towards her, close enough that she could feel his breath on her face. "So I'm guessing I was pretty damn good. Want to make those dreams a reality?"

She wanted to say yes. She wanted to say yes so badly that she was sure her eardrums popped from how loud her mind yelled it at her. But there was no way, no way in hell she was going to let herself give into the walking temptation that was Damon Salvatore. So instead, she picked up her pillow and whacked him with it, training her dark brown eyes on him. She knew that this was what he wanted; the angry reaction, but right then she didn't care. All that she wanted was for him to get out of her room, out of her life, and more importantly, out of her dreams.

"Get the hell out, Damon!" Elena yelled, chucking another pillow at him. Of course, it missed, but he still narrowed his eyes slightly before smirking at her. A playful wave later and he was gone, disappeared out the window that he no doubt came in.

Now, if only he would be gone for good.

_A/N: This chapter is just a short kind of prequel, just to see how people like it and whether or not I should carry on. And the only way I can figure that out...? Reviews! XD_


	2. Chapter 2: Another Day, Another Drink

Elena sat rather impatiently in her desk in Alaric's class, praying that the bell would ring soon and end her misery once and for all. Both Stefan and Matt's eyes were on her, curious as to why she was so tense, and she could feel their concerned stares burning into her back. _Shit._ Why did she have to go and have those damn dreams? It had been three days, and yet they were all she could think about, creeping into her mind every second of the day. It wasn't like she was attracted to Damon, because that was impossible. Hell, that would be like being attracted to Jer. He was like her brother, with creepy comments and sexual innuendo's added on. Besides, she was dating _Stefan._ She loved _Stefan._ And if there was anyone she was going to let hop in the shower with her, it was going to be _Stefan_...right?

But in her dreams, everything with Damon had seemed so natural. Their bodies had moved in perfect unison, each knowing what the other was going to do or say before they even did it. It was like they had been one person, not just connected with their bodies – although she was pretty sure that in that sense they were as close as two people could get – but they were also connected in their minds. It was like their souls had been fused together to make up one perfect creature, one that was filled with passion and lust and other emotions that were impossible to identify.

Of course, that had been dream-Damon, who was nothing like reality-Damon. Her dream lover had been sweet and gentle, whispering sweet nothings into her ears and looking at her as if she was the most precious creature in all the world. His voice had sent butterflies fluttering into her stomach and caused her heart to beat at a rate that was so fast it was nearly unheard of. Basically, dream-Damon was romance novel material, like Fabio without the grossly long hair. However, reality-Damon was something completely different. He was crass, rude, and completely ignorant, with a too-sharp tongue and an ever-present smirk. The only words he whispered to her were suggestive taunts, and the only way he looked at her was like she was something to eat...which she supposed to him she was, in a way. The only feelings that he gave her were ones of discomfort and irritation, save for the few moments where his gaze would send shivers down her spine, or his words would melt his soul. Those times used to be few and far between, but recently they had been popping up more often, something that worried her. What if reality-Damon was slowly transforming into dream-Damon? Well, then she would have an even bigger problem.

It was moments when Elena saw the elder Salvatore's soft side that she felt herself begin to genuinely care for him. The night when they had went to the tomb only to discover that Katherine had never been there was one of the most dramatic nights she had ever experienced, and that was saying something. No memory, no matter how good, could ever replace the look of pain and suffering that she had seen cross his beautiful place, and that alone was enough to make her heart squeeze. Yes, there was no doubt in her mind that she cared deeply for Damon Salvatore, she just had yet to figure out how deep those feelings went.

If her subconscious was trying to tell her anything, they went pretty damn deep.

The bell finally rang, and Elena flew out of the classroom and into the hallway before either Matt or Stefan could catch up to her. There was no way she could face either of them, not when her mind was still stuck on the dreams from last night. One look into her ex-boyfriend's soulful blue eyes or her current boyfriend's deep green ones, and she knew for a fact that she would find herself spilling her soul out to either – or both – of them. Elena had to get it off her chest, but there was no one she could go to, not right then. Bonnie hated Damon, so that wasn't going to work. Caroline had had a relationship with him, which made her an even less likely choice. And Jenna was at work, which meant that she was going to have to wait until the end of the day to talk to anyone about it. For then, she would just have to find some way to survive lunch without running into any of her friends.

That left her one option, which was going out. The Grill seemed like the most appealing of her options, only because it was the darkest place she could think to go. The brunette needed somewhere that had _atmosphere_ to suit her dreary mood, and The Grill was the best and first place that came to her mind. Besides, she could already see Caroline walking towards her with Bonnie in tow, which meant that she only had seconds to get out of the school and into her car before she was bombarded with questions.

Getting to her car was like a spy mission, attempting to avoid people she knew while moving fast and staying out of her two best friend's field of view. It seemed like hours before she made it to the large double doors, and as soon as she was out she ran like hell. Luckily for Elena she had done one thing right that day and snagged the closest possible parking spot to the school, and she was safe and sound in her car before Bonnie or Caroline would have the slightest idea where she went. Sighing in relief, she rested her head on the wheel, allowing herself to take a quick breather before slowly pulling out of the parking lot. Ever since her accident, Elena had been the most cautious driver you could find, so much so that people refused to drive with her. Every speed limit was followed exactly, sometimes a mile or two below, and that was the way that she liked it. People thought it was weird, but then again, none of them had nearly died alone in a car wreck with an angry vampire advancing on you. She could only thank God that Damon had been there to save her.

_Damon._

Just thinking of his name caused her to lose focus and nearly drift into oncoming traffic, making her the recipient of many angry horns and jeers. She let out a deep breath and trained her eyes back onto the road, her heartbeat slowly starting to calm down. No matter how many times Damon Salvatore saved her, he was still going to be the fucking death of her. Of that much, she was certain.

XOXOXOXOXOXOX

By the time Elena pulled up to The Grill, she realized that there was only half an hour left of lunch. Cursing under her breath, she decided just to skip her last two blocks – after all, it was only Gym and Foods, two things that she could easily catch up on the next day. Locking the car door behind her, she crossed the gravel parking lot and entered what had become one of her favourite places to hang out. It was filled with the typical Monday afternoon crowed, beer-bellied drunks with sad looks on their faces, hunched over a pint of beer and not speaking to anyone but, on occasion, themselves. She couldn't help it, she gave them pitying looks as she headed over to a table, but one of the "drunks" in particular caught her eye.

He had a messy head of dark hair, signifying that the only thing he had done before coming to The Grill and ordering a glass of bourbon was wake up. Even though the room was dark, she could tell that his skin was pale, a startling contrast against his black leather jacket, black shirt, black jeans, and black boots. He wasn't hunched over his glass like the others, staring off into nothing as he drowned in his sorrows. No, this one man was staring straight at her, piercing right into her soul with those eyes, those brilliant aquamarine eyes that made her melt into a puddle just by looking into them. In short, the man was absolutely, without a doubt one of the most beautiful creatures that she had ever seen in her entire life, and he was also the man that had been invading all of her dreams for the past week and a little bit.

Snapping out of her trance, Elena marched up to his table and raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow at him. She was just thankful that she had taken the time to look nice that morning, and judging by the pleased look on Damon's face, he seemed to appreciate her effort. The hungry look that the raven-haired vampire was giving her sent the all-too-familiar shivers down her spine, and she had to stop herself from pouncing on him right then and there. Instead, she just stared down at him from her position in front of his table, happy to finally be the one that was looking down on him.

"Isn't it a little early to be drinking, Salvatore?" she asked, a small smirk gracing her lips. It was her first time seeing him since...well, since _the morning_, and she wasn't quite sure how she was supposed to act. Deciding just to go with the whole 'nothing ever happened' act, she gave him a playful smile and tapped her foot impatiently. "Well?"

"Elena, you look _ravishing_," he told her in some bizarre British accent, dark eyes twinkling. "Sit down and let's have some fun." Grinning, he grabbed her hand and pulled her down into the chair across from him, leaning forward excitedly. It was nothing like the reaction that she had been inspecting, but one whiff of his breath and one glance at the plethora of empty glasses surrounding him told her that the drink in his hand was far from his first. _Fucking brilliant_. Elena knew better than anyone how out of control drunk Damon could get – 'kill your brother' kind of out of control. He didn't mean to cause any harm, but as soon as alcohol got into his system the whole act was dropped and the emotional switch was flicked back to 'ON', which meant that he let himself get a little stir-crazy. It wasn't exactly what she had been hoping to experience, but hey, it would provide for some good entertainment.

It was then the she realized their hands were still intertwined, and that Damon's face was getting closer and closer to hers with every passing second. Yanking away, she leaned back in the wooden chair and gave him a curious look. "What happened, Damon?" he wasn't one to get drunk for no reason, she knew that, so there had to have been something that triggered the bizarre emotional state that he was currently in.

"_Life_ happened, Elena, and it's beautiful!" Tossing his arms up in the air, he laughed like a giddy teenager and clapped his hands together once. "But there _is_ something that we can do to make it more beautiful." Now he was getting much too close for comfort again, leering at her suggestively with an animalistic glint in her eyes that made her heart stop beating and her brain fear for her safety all at once. "Remember your dreams, love? I have ones about you, too. We can try some new things out if you want, I've got some ideas..." she swatted his arm, effectively cutting him off before he could continue his sentence. The darker, nastier side of her wanted to give in to temptation, but she knew perfect well that someone that they knew could walk into the bar any minute and see them in the act.

That and she didn't even _want_ to do anything. Because she _didn't_. Really.

"I'm serious, Damon," she urged, reaching forward and grabbing one of his hands in hers. She knew that he wasn't in the best state of mind right then, but she knew him well enough to know when he was in pain, and now was one of those moments. Anyone with two eyes and a good dose of common sense would be able to see it, she was sure. "What happened?"

They were encased in silence for a moment, one so strong that it nearly deafened her. Their eyes were locked together, neither one wanting to break the moment that was occurring. Even Damon, in the state that he was in, was able to comprehend how serious she was, and how badly she wanted to be a part of his life, a part of his pain. _We're friends_, she reminded herself firmly, still not allowing herself to break the eye contact with him. _Friends care about what's going on in each other's lives, and they want to help. That's what I'm doing, and that's the only reason that I'm doing it._ No way in hell was she doing it for any other reason – Damon was in pain, and she was being a good friend and trying to help. That was it, plain and simple.

He was the first one to break the silence, clearly brought down from the momentary relief that the alcohol had given him. "I was looking at her ring today." Damon said simply, the slur in his speech not taking anything away from the seriousness of his words, and right away she knew who he was talking about. The sharp pain of jealous stung through her body, and she forced herself to keep a straight face as she waited for him to continue. She had no right being jealous – Stefan was her boyfriend, not Damon, but it was impossible to help. "It's not like that," he said, sensing what she was feeling right away. "I was just thinking about the past 145 years of searching for her, and how she never loved me. Which made me wonder – am I that impossible to love, Elena?" his face was clouded with such desperation, such sorrow that it nearly made her break down into tears, thoughts of her boyfriend completely banished from her mind. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words were able to come out of her mouth. It was like her brain had left her body and was now floating somewhere on the opposite side of the room. All she could do was shake her head quickly while inwardly she screamed at her brain to just get on it and work already.

However, it was too late, because Damon was already giving her a sad smile and standing up from the table. He stood with quite a bit of unease, and she was fast to stand by his side, shocked by her sudden protectiveness of him. What was _wrong_ with her? Before she could ponder the thousands of answers to that question in her mind, he was already off of her and out the door.

"Fucking hell," she cursed, flopping down into the chair in an incredibly un-ladylike manor. Her body was buzzing, filled with thousands of feelings that she couldn't even describe, and she knew without a doubt what – or, more specifically, _who_ – the cause of all of her uneasiness was.

It was Damon mother fucking Salvatore, the one person who was going to be the death of her.

_A/N: Sorry there wasn't much steamy Delena action in this one, but I promise that the next one is going to be filled to the brim with lots and lots of it, so stay patient! Thank you to all of the wonderful people who left me such kind reviews, and favourited this story – you guys are the best! 3_

_Xoxo, Tiff_


	3. SORRY

OMG OMG OMG.

I totally forgot about this XD  
I'm so so so so so sorry, but I've actually be wasting a lot of my time READING other stories, and not POSTING any stories. Because I'm a total idiot and a waste of flesh. Please forgive me, readers, for I have sinned and I apologize sincerely.

I'll add another chapter tomorrow. Pinky-promise.

QUICK QUESTION:

Do you guys want to dive straight into Delena action?

Any ideas for an OC (either M or F) to try and steal either Damon or Elena away?

Any plot ideas?

I'm open to anything, just comment and I can add it into the next chappie ;)


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